I’ve got a few weeks in now with the GT-1000.
I have similar impressions as before. The amps have kind of a generic sound but are very easy to shape in terms of EQ. The tone knobs work more like Kemper where it’s post EQ instead of tone stack, so small knob changes make a big difference. And the gain knob more seems to blend in gain rather than change the character of the amp itself.
There’s not any incredible feel to it, it’s more direct than other amp sims. Having a little more scooped EQ seems to help like using an IR.
But I do find the amps have a nice smooth sound to them with a midrange EQ that cuts through. In comparison Fractal has overtones all over the place that often require more drastic high cuts, and adjusting the tone stack has little impact. With the Boss it falls into place easier. And the Fractal tends to sound a little mid scooped all the time in comparison.
The other nice thing with the Boss is way less option paralysis. There’s so few amp models you have to pick one in the ballpark and dial it in close. With Fractal there’s a lot of options and they all have a little different EQ in different places. That pushes me to try a bunch of different amps to find the right ballpark EQ and gain before adjusting. Boss is more plug and play by necessity.
Im still hit or miss on the cabs. I spent a few weeks playing with those and they sound decent but still dry and direct. Loading in an IR isn’t night and day but does overall improve the EQ and even the feel a bit. It’s a little less boxy and has more mid scoop but in a good way.
Effects sound good overall but are limited in a lot of ways. As a collection of pedals it’s good but compared to Helix or Fractal it’s a step backwards. Also they can be a pain to dial in as levels are often too high or low and having separate effect vs dry is less appealing than mix and level.
I do really like the form factor and the pedalboard mode though. It’s nice to scroll through the effects and be able to dial them in quickly and easily. Also having gapless amp switching in a patch and very fast patch switching is impressive.
Overall I’m on the fence. I really dig how it simplifies amp modeling even if it’s more like old school sound and feel. But there’s a lot of compromises on the effects and UX side.